Leonardo DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another director claims his Titanic character Jack Dawson should have LIVED because the raft was ‘big enough for two’

Leonardo DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another director Paul Thomas Anderson has claimed the Titanic star’s character Jack Dawson should not have died.

For many years, the blockbuster movie, which aired 28 years ago, has riled up fans after many believe that Jack could have avoided his icy death if he joined Rose – played by Kate Winslet – on the floating door.

The fictional characters were on board the Titanic – which set sail from Southampton, England, to New York City in 1912. During its Atlantic voyage, however, the historic ship hit an iceberg and sank, killing 1,500 people.

James Cameron’s epic movie follows upper-class Rose and poor boy Jack who fall in love during their brief trip, before Jack ultimately sacrifices himself and freezes to death in the ocean so that his lover can live. 

Now, director Paul has insisted there was ‘definitely room’ for Jack on the makeshift raft beside Rose.

Speaking this week, Paul, 55, said he often wondered why Jack and Rose both didn’t get on ‘that f****** door’, adding: ‘There was definitely room.’

Leonardo DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another director Paul Thomas Anderson has claimed the Titanic star’s character Jack Dawson should not have died (pictured together this week)

Many believe that Jack could have avoided his icy death if he joined Rose – played by Kate Winslet – on the floating door

The Holiday star Kate herself admitted that she did not believe Jack’s character could have survived, since the raft would not have kept afloat with both of them on.

She said in 2022: ‘You’ve heard it here, for the first time, yes he could have fit, he could have fit on that door, but it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t.

‘All I can tell you is I do have a decent understanding of water and how it behaves, I really do.

‘If you put two adults on a standup paddleboard, it becomes immediately extremely unstable, that is for sure.

‘I actually don’t believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door,’ Winslet said. ‘I think that he could have fit, but it would have tipped and it would not have been a sustainable idea.’

Paul directed Leonardo in last year’s One Battle After Another, which is up for a series of nominations this award’s season. 

One Battle After Another swept the 2026 Golden Globe Award nominations as they were revealed on Monday morning ahead of the January 11 ceremony.

The Leonardo-starring epic picked up nine nods in the film categories including Best Picture, Director and Screenwriter, a Best Actor nod for its lead and Supporting Actor recognitions for Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn.

Now, director Paul has insisted there was ‘definitely room’ for Jack on the makeshift raft beside Rose

While Leonardo DiCaprio said ‘no comment’ when asked if Jack could have made it on the door, Kate Winslet says she believes it was scientifically impossible (pictured together in 2016)

One Battle After Another swept the 2026 Golden Globe Award nominations as they were revealed on Monday morning ahead of the January 11 ceremony 

It will compete against Blue Moon, Bugonia, Marty Supreme, No Other Choice and Nouvelle Vague in the Best Picture – Musical Or Comedy category, with Wicked: For Good a shock snub.

Over in Best Picture – Drama, Frankenstein, Hamnet, It Was Just An Accident, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Values and Sinners go head to head.  

One Battle After Another also topped the BAFTA longlist.

The most prestigious film ceremony in the UK, the BAFTAs are typically known for honouring British talent and projects that have perhaps been overlooked by international audiences. 

However, this year, the film that has curried the most favour with the British Academy is the American black comedy – which recently scooped Best Picture at the Critics Choice Awards. 

 The movie received 16 nods across various categories, including Best Film, Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, Leading Actor for DiCaprio and Leading Actress for Chase Infiniti.